FLORA OF THE VALLEY OF MEXICO
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Narrado por Jorge Obregón
Narrado por Jorge Obregón
In 1869, José María Velasco published Flora del Valle de México, a series of eighteen lithographs depicting plants from the basin of central Mexico that established him as botanist as well as a painter. He was not only a draftsman—he collected and classified specimens, produced the lithographs himself, and oversaw their publication.
In this gallery, the prints and sketches from the series are displayed alongside specimens of the same species from the National Herbarium, revealing the meticulous work that made the publication possible. Through this endeavor, Velasco joined the Mexican Society of Natural History, where championed the idea of a national flora that would begin with the Valley of Mexico and extend throughout the country.
Although the publication was discontinued due to a lack of subscribers, it embodied a scientific ideal that sought integration between collecting, visualizing, and publishing Mexico’s flora. Observing the various media through which the species appear draws us into a material and visual process where practices of gathering, observing, and shaping a botanical aesthetic coexist.
In 1869, José María Velasco published Flora del Valle de México, a series of eighteen lithographs depicting plants from the basin of central Mexico that established him as botanist as well as a painter. He was not only a draftsman—he collected and classified specimens, produced the lithographs himself, and oversaw their publication.
In this gallery, the prints and sketches from the series are displayed alongside specimens of the same species from the National Herbarium, revealing the meticulous work that made the publication possible. Through this endeavor, Velasco joined the Mexican Society of Natural History, where championed the idea of a national flora that would begin with the Valley of Mexico and extend throughout the country.
Although the publication was discontinued due to a lack of subscribers, it embodied a scientific ideal that sought integration between collecting, visualizing, and publishing Mexico’s flora. Observing the various media through which the species appear draws us into a material and visual process where practices of gathering, observing, and shaping a botanical aesthetic coexist.
In 1869, José María Velasco published Flora del Valle de México, a series of eighteen lithographs depicting plants from the basin of central Mexico that established him as botanist as well as a painter. He was not only a draftsman—he collected and classified specimens, produced the lithographs himself, and oversaw their publication.
In this gallery, the prints and sketches from the series are displayed alongside specimens of the same species from the National Herbarium, revealing the meticulous work that made the publication possible. Through this endeavor, Velasco joined the Mexican Society of Natural History, where championed the idea of a national flora that would begin with the Valley of Mexico and extend throughout the country.
Although the publication was discontinued due to a lack of subscribers, it embodied a scientific ideal that sought integration between collecting, visualizing, and publishing Mexico’s flora. Observing the various media through which the species appear draws us into a material and visual process where practices of gathering, observing, and shaping a botanical aesthetic coexist.